Curses
Curses are discussed in a variety of contexts throughout the Jewish textual tradition: biblical passages describe attempts of individuals to curse others, God's curses for those who don't follow the commandments, and several injunctions against cursing specific people. Rabbinic texts detail and analyze the legal prohibitions of cursing and its implications, and texts of Jewish thought discuss the spiritual ramifications of cursing.
Notable Sources
All Sources
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The Choice Between Blessing and CurseTANAKH
The Choice Between Blessing and Curse
TANAKH
The Torah presents a powerful message about the consequences of obedience or disobedience of God's commandments. In Deuteronomy, Moses presents the Israelites with a choice between blessing and curse, determined by their future adherence to God's laws and avoidance of worshipping other gods.
The Spiritual Dangers of CursingMUSAR
The Spiritual Dangers of Cursing
MUSAR
Cursing another person is harmful also to the one who issues the curse. The 17th-century ethical and kabbalistic work, Kav HaYashar, by Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Kaidanover, emphasizes in dramatic, mystical terms, the evil unleashed on the world through hatred and cursing.
Prohibitions Against CursingHALAKHAH
Prohibitions Against Cursing
HALAKHAH
The Torah specifies a number of people that one ought not to curse, but the rabbis determined that cursing another Jew is prohibited. In his monumental 12th-century legal code, the Mishneh Torah, Rambam explains from where each of these prohibitions derives in the Torah.
The Power and Peril of CursesCHASIDUT
The Power and Peril of Curses
CHASIDUT
Under what circumstances and for how long are curses effective? The late 18th-century Chasidic master Rebbe Nachman of Breslov gives over his understanding of some of these details.
The Blessing in the Curse and the Curse in the BlessingTALMUD
The Blessing in the Curse and the Curse in the Blessing
TALMUD
In the book of Numbers, Balaam the prophet of an enemy nation blesses Israel, while in the book of Kings, Ahijah the Shilonite, a Jewish prophet pronounces a curse on Israel. The Babylonian Talmud in tractate Taanit argues that the curse of a friend is preferable to the blessing of an enemy, using details in these two prophets' statements to subvert their surface meanings.
The Boomerang Effect of CursesHALAKHAH
The Boomerang Effect of Curses
HALAKHAH
Who does a curse really harm? The Sefer Chasidim, a text of Jewish ethical and mystical teachings and folk wisdom from 12th–13th-century Germany, advises against cursing others because, among other reasons, curses tend to return to the person who has uttered them.
The Consequences of Cursing ParentsMIDRASH
The Consequences of Cursing Parents
MIDRASH
According to the Torah, cursing one's parents is a capital offense. Midrash Tanchuma, a medieval collection of homiletical midrash, connects verses against cursing one's parents to biblical stories that illustrate respect and disrespect for parents.
The Blasphemer's FateTANAKH
The Blasphemer's Fate
TANAKH
The severe consequences of blaspheming God are dramatically illustrated in this Torah narrative. The book of Leviticus recounts the story of a man who cursed God and was subsequently stoned to death by the community — per God's command.
The Curses of GenesisTARGUM
The Curses of Genesis
TARGUM
After the transgression of Eve and Adam in the garden of Eden, God meted out punishments to them and to the serpent in the form of lasting, intergenerational curses. The Targum Jonathan, an Aramaic translation and interpretation of the Torah, elaborates on the details of those divine curses.
Noah Ends the CurseKABBALAH
Noah Ends the Curse
KABBALAH
As a consequence of Adam's eating from the Tree of Knowledge, the earth was cursed fore ten generations, until Noah. The Zohar Chadash, a medieval kabbalistic text, explains how Noah brought an end to this curse.
Blessings and Curses in Ancient TreatiesCOMMENTARY
Blessings and Curses in Ancient Treaties
COMMENTARY
Several books of the Tanakh include litanies of promised blessings and, at greater length, curses in the event of disobeying God's commandments. In a note on his contemporary translation of the Torah, Everett Fox explains the promised blessings and curses of biblical covenants in light of the historical precedents of other ancient Near Eastern treaties.
Leviticus 26:3-45 The initial ending of Leviticus (Chap. 27 was added later) follows a pattern common to treaties in the ancient Near East: it provides blessings for remaining loyal to God (the suzerain) and curses for spurning him. A similar pattern, with greater rhetoric and emotional force, occurs in Deut. 28–30, with briefer examples in Ex. 23:25ff. and Josh. 24:20…
The Cursing ExpertTANAKH
The Cursing Expert
TANAKH
An episode in the book of Numbers involves a non-Jewish prophet, Balaam, who was renowned for his ability to bless and curse effectively. The story is told in Parashat Balak, beginning when King Balak, out of fear for the Israelite's power, sends for Balaam's assistance to curse them.
Joshua's Covenantal RitualMISHNAH
Joshua's Covenantal Ritual
MISHNAH
After crossing over into the promised land, Joshua reiterates to the people the blessings and curses, marking a reaffirmation of the covenant between God and the Israelites. The Mishnah, a foundational Jewish legal text from the early third century, provides an account of this ceremony, including the specific locations, the arrangement of the tribes, and the process of reciting the blessings and curses.
King David's RestraintTANAKH
King David's Restraint
TANAKH
King David's response to being cursed by Shimei highlights his acceptance of the curse as God's will. In the biblical narrative of Samuel II, King David endures curses and stones from Shimei, a member of Saul’s clan, and refrains from retaliation.
The Worsening CursesTALMUD
The Worsening Curses
TALMUD
The destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem is seen not only as an isolated catastrophe but as the beginning of a tragic era. The Babylonian Talmud in tractate Sotah discusses the daily, ever-deepening curses since the day of the Temple's destruction.
Cursing the Villains and Blessing the HeroesLITURGY
Cursing the Villains and Blessing the Heroes
LITURGY
On Purim, the book of Esther is liturgically read to retell the story of the Jewish people's salvation from villain Haman's genocidal scheme at the hands of the story's heroes, Esther and Mordekhai. Shoshanat Yaakov, a poem traditionally sung after the chanting of the book of Esther on Purim alternates blessings and curses upon the heroes and the villains of the Purim story.
Self-Imposed Suffering for AtonementTALMUD
Self-Imposed Suffering for Atonement
TALMUD
Nahum Ish Gamzu's story illustrates the extreme lengths to which one might go for atonement, highlighting the concept of self-imposed suffering. The Babylonian Talmud in tractate Taanit recounts the story of Nahum Ish Gamzu, who brought a curse upon himself as a form of atonement for failing to help a poor person in time.
The Curse of "He Who Exacted Payment"JEWISH THOUGHT
The Curse of "He Who Exacted Payment"
JEWISH THOUGHT
There is an official formulation of cursing for a person who doesn’t uphold their commitments. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch’s 19th-century work, Horeb, delves into the ethical and legal expectations in business transactions, emphasizing the importance of scruples and keeping one's word.
A Cursed ConsequenceTOSEFTA
A Cursed Consequence
TOSEFTA
The sages disapproved of certain legal behaviors strongly enough that they called a curse upon those who engaged in them. The Tosefta, a late second-century collection of rabbinic laws and teachings, takes up the question of whether one may give the charity designated for the poor to a family member.
The Continuous Reading of CursesMIDRASH
The Continuous Reading of Curses
MIDRASH
Public readings of the litany of curses at the end of Deuteronomy traditionally do not divide the passage among multiple readers. Devarim Rabbah, an early medieval midrash on the book of Deuteronomy, explains why the text ought to be read continuously.